Friends, Fall and Football

Hiya!

Hope everyone's Labor Day has been relaxing and fun! Hubbs and I just returned from an "end of summer" BBQ with great friends! I'm so blessed with amazing new friends here in Pittsburgh! My only regret is that I forgot my camera because I really want more pics with my PA bestie. Ah well, next time!

This weekend has been so wonderful and because of that I haven't blogged! I've been enjoying my time with my Hunk too much to get on the computer and I'm so glad we had a weekend to finally relax with no obligations (other than going to the Penn State season opener game! YAY!

Enjoying the game! Hanging with Joe Pa!

Shopping for PSU hoodies because it was chilly (perfect all football weather!)

Coffee in the stands plus my shake and cashews (not pictured!)

I did fantastic all weekend with packing meals ahead of time and having comp-friendly meals ready to go. No hassle! Hubbs ate pizza while we watched the game and I had my whey shake (yeah, we all know who the "winner" of the taste contest was here, don't we?), but I was totally prepared and didn't sweat the diet. Instead I ate what I brought and enjoyed every second with my friends without thinking about food. As.it.should.be.

Ok, so being real with you, my diet has been SPOT ON the entire weekend....buuuuuut cardio seems like a long, lost friend:( With only 10 weeks left I have NO ROOM to skimp out on cardio and I feel terrible that I haven't put in my cardio since Thursday DOH! I've definitely worked it out hard-core in the weight room, but getting up early to do cardio just hasn't happened. I have stayed up late every night since last Thursday and not gotten enough sleep which has prevented me from getting up early as scheduled. (Gosh, I sure sound like I'm a victim in all this, don't I?)

Tomorrow, though, I'll be back at it in the gym at 5:30pm and I'm going to incorporate 3 afternoon HIIT sessions this week on top of my weight lifting split days. It's going to be a FULL week, but since we're off to West Virginia this coming weekend to hang with friends, I need to "make up" a few workouts. I won't have access to the gym this weekend so this week it's all about burn, baby, burning!!!

Tonight at my friend's Labor Day BBQ, I told a few more people about my competition goal and was so happy to hear all the support I'm getting:) I got a lot of "Wow, that's great!" and "Good for you!," as well as "If anyone can do it, I know you can!!!" Seriously, it only encourages me and pumps me up that much more and keeps my "fire" burning with regard to this incredible (and flippin' HARD) goal. It means the world when friends genuinely cheer me on because I've already encountered a few "friends" who can't even fake it that they are happy for me and my goal. Lame, I know! It sure makes me question how close we really are if instead of "You can do its!" I get "Really? You want to do what?...oh, well, good luck". Honestly, this is why I've been extremely selective in who I tell about my goal. I tell people in waves because I just refuse to let anyone else's negativity bring me down. Either encourage me and cheer me on or step aside because I'M DOING THIS!!!

Anyway, that's all I feel like writing about tonight:) It's a little past 9pm and I need to make a casein shake and get my workout clothes ready to "do the darn thing" in the gym tomorrow morning.

One last thing--I hope whatever your goals are--whether weight loss, competition/marathon prep or just healthy living in general--that you are encouraged and have a great support system! It makes all the difference! Let's encourage one another to achieve our dreams and surprise ourselves with out strength, determination and will! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

♥ and positivity,

Talia:)

Question
1) Have you encountered friends who seem "less than thrilled" about your health/fitness goals? How do you handle criticism or negativity ?